Attendance was at least triple the expected turnout during Sunday’s grand opening event at Vernon Hills’ new $200 million Mellody Farm shopping center, according to organizers.

The event marked the recent opening of the five major stores — REI, Whole Foods, Nordstrom Rack, HomeGoods and Barnes & Noble — along with food samplings of restaurants to come, including B.Good, City Barbeque and Roti.

REI was the first store to open on Sept. 14, a few weeks before the other anchor stores. Approximately 9,000 people visited the new location that weekend, according to store manager Greg Hamilton.

Matt Hendy, a vice president with Regency Centers, which owns Mellody Farm, said customer flow since REI’s opening has sparked even more interest from prospective shops.

“Ever since people have been able to get onto the property and see everything with their own eyes, our already strong leasing momentum has gone through the roof,” Hendy said.

In total, Hendy said Mellody Farm will eventually have at least 14 restaurants among the 50 total tenants. Some are already under contract but not revealed, while other storefronts remain available.

The center, named after the iconic farm once operated by the Cuneo family, is built in a U-shape along Milwaukee Avenue and Townline Road with stores facing inward toward each other.

Sunday’s event, which also included live performances, face painting and giveaways from incoming shops, was proof that the hype around the new shopping center was real, Hendy said.

Sarah Schnell, a senior producer with the contracted firm Total Event Resources, said at least 1,500 registration forms were handed out to patrons interested in updates.

Both Schnell and the restaurants said they planned for and hoped for 500 visitors. The restaurants ran out of food, some called their local stores to get more delivered.

Alex Kaparos, who’s lived in Vernon Hills for 20 years, said he was most excited about Whole Foods. He said this new location is on the way home from work. He used to routinely travel to the Deerfield store.

“I think this (Mellody Farm) is great for the community,” Kaparos said. “It’s a new venue with something for everyone: young, old, families, singles, hobbyists.”

But not everyone shared in the optimism.

Nick Kinnas, a 40-year resident, was touring with his young granddaughter.

“It seems funny to see all this new construction when stores all over are closing up shop,” Kinnas said. “This is certainly impressive. You just wonder how many stores will be here in a year or two.”

Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press

Melissa Cross, left, poses Oct. 7 in front of the “WhatLiftsYou wings” mural at the new Mellody Farm shopping center in Vernon Hills while Adam Michniak of Lake Zurich takes her photo.

While her daughter, Nicoletta, painted a free pumpkin, Laura Butera of Mundelein said her family routinely drives into Vernon Hills to shop and they’re impressed with the latest offerings.

“I’m surprised by all the modern touches, like the giant words and wings (mural) on the wall for pictures,” she said. “The decor makes everything a little more fun.”

Hendy has long said that Mellody Farm will offer more experiences through features like the variety of custom benches, murals, reclaimed materials, park space and a 17-foot long fire pit in between restaurants. Hendy coined the phrase “Instagrammable moments” to describe some of those features.

A Vernon Hills-themed mural on Whole Foods is partway done, while Chicago artist Matthew Hoffman manned a booth to talk with visitors about his “smile” mural on one building and giant sculpture that spells out “all the best” in the front park.

The climbable sculpture, according to Hoffman, is eight feet tall and 23 feet long. It’s made of PVC pipes and recycled milk cartons fabricated to mimic wood.

New York artist Tristan Eaton was on scene spray painting his mural of Mercury, the Roman god of shopkeepers and merchants, with overlapping letters that spell out “Mellody Farm,” among other words.

Annette Ganvik of Vernon Hills cheerfully conversed with Eaton as he worked.

“This is amazing,” Ganvik said. “It’s so colorful and eye popping, and he’s doing it freehand without stencils or even a drawing to go off of. I hate to interrupt the man, but I’m just so curious.”

A few blocks away is artist Kelsey Montague’s work that serves as a replica of her “WhatLiftsYou wings” mural in Nashville. A large set of wings for adults accompanies a smaller set of wings for kids and pets.

Melissa Cross of Hainesville was posing in front of the wings while her friend Adam Michniak of Lake Zurich took her photo.

“We decided to stop by because I wanted to get a jacket from REI,” Cross said. “Then I saw this (mural) and realized Whole Foods was giving out samples. Suddenly it feels like we’ve spent half the day exploring.”

For Michniak, he said he noticed the storefront for Floyd's 99 Barbershop, which is still under construction, and did some research on it.

“I like the more local barber shop that isn’t a corporate chain,” Michniak said, noting the Floyd’s website that says it’s a locally-owned chain. “I want something personable, someone who’s more stable.”

Internet-based retail is a commonly perceived threat to brick-and-mortar shopping centers like Mellody Farm. Some of the store operators said they hope their unique offerings stand in contrast to that trend.

Hamilton, the store manager for REI, said his company is experiencing growth, which is evident by the Lincoln Park store relocating into a bigger space and the Vernon Hills store opening as a new location.

A Lake County Forest Preserve canoe launch site is on the opposite side of Townline Road, and Hamilton said the two entities are still in talks about hosting events and figuring out ways to encourage patrons to use the access point.

Delores Heupel, a store employee, said REI has already donated $20,000 to the forest preserve district for trail maintenance. She said employees are organizing “work days” in which the store would pay their wages but they’d be helping forest preserve staff with projects.

Heupel said classes, such as bicycle maintenance and campsite setup, are among the growing REI offerings that get people in the doors.

Barnes & Noble is one of two stores relocating from other Vernon Hills locations. A tax subsidy agreement with the Village of Vernon Hills limits the amount of “cannibalizing” Regency Centers can do.

Carl Hauch, vice president for stores at corporate Barnes & Noble, toured the store on Oct. 2, a day before it opened.

The new store, located between Nordstrom Rack and REI on the inner most rim of the shopping center, is more than 17,000 square feet, according to promotional material. The former store, which was in Hawthorn Mall and closed on Oct. 2, was about 27,000 square feet.

Hauch said none of the departments disappeared, but the selections in the new store are “more curated” based on local sales data.

“Book sales are steady. I’d say physical book stores do have a bright future,” Hauch said. “I think there’s always going to be a place for a community bookstore. We have great optimism as we look to the future.”

About 700 square feet of the store has shelves on wheels that can be moved for weekly events.

“I’m confident our loyal customers will follow us over here and our new business model with fit in with this incredible new center, leading to many new customers,” Hauch said.

Store manager Mary Mateer, who grew up in Libertyville, said she often hears about the perceived transition to digital products like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s NOOK.

“We have a lot of customers who like the devices because they travel and it’s so much easier to store and carry five books, but they like the physical touch and appearance of a book when possible,” Mateer said.